Illuminated sign



(No llodeL) 2 Sheets8heet 1. A. L. McOO-RMIGK.

ILLUMINATED SIGN. No. 502,007. Patented Jfily 25, 1893.

WITNESSES: INVENTOI? A TORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR L. MCCORMICK, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,007, dated July 25, 1893. Application filed February 17, 1893. Serial No. 462,720. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. MOCORMIGK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs and Designs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention consists in forming signs or designs of any description, for advertising or art purposes, with transparent letters or parts in front of a number of series of electriclamps of different contrasting colors, portions of the sign or design being separated by partitions inclosing cells containing each a series of the lamps of different colors, so that separate lamps of different colors can be used to illuminate adjoining portions of the sign or design, without interference of light thereon; and in a switch apparatus arranged to throw currents from one to another of the different colored lamps in each series, so that the parts of the sign or design will repeatedly change in color in various combinations and orders of change, to which it may be adjusted, and

. thus produce effective and attractive exhibitions for advertising, business or ornamental purposes, as may be desired.

The invention is made and used substantially as set forth hereinafter and as shown in the drawings, in which-=- Figure 1 illustrates a sign with letters,partly broken away, and a commutator connected with the lamps thereof by wires. Fig. 2. shows the sign or design made in another form. Fig. 3. shows the internal cells of the same of irregular forms.

In the drawings A is a sign partly broken away to show the interior cells and lamps, behind the separate letters. The letters B may be transparent on an opaque ground, covering each the front of one cell C, separated by partitions D from the adjoining cells; or the whole sign may be transparent and the partitions arranged to separate the letters from the ground, so that they may be shown of different colors therefrom; and any figure or art design may be separated into different parts of any desired shape, by partitions in a like way, behind the front face; and this face may be ground glass or other suitable material. In each cell C are a number of electric lamps E of different colored glass, any number and set of colors in each, each lamp being provided with its separate circuit wires, not shown, connected through a commutator switch F, with the source of an electric current. The commutator switch F,has a rotatable cylinder G, of wood or other material, having on its outer surface spaces H, of conducting metal with interspaces I of nonconducting material, the spaces H being connected with the source of general current. There rests on the cylinder G a series of conducting springs K, one for each lamp, forming part of the circuit thereof. The springs for the lamps of each cell are arranged to rest on the cylinder, so that only one or more of them, as desired, will rest at once on the conductor 11, while the others are cut out of the circuit by resting on the intermediate space, but ready, each in turn, to be brought in connection as the cylinder turns. The conductors II are made of any desired length, size and form, to suit the design and purpose in each case.

This invention admits of many modifications to suit different uses and designs, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the arts of signcraft and advertising, and of ornamentation.

I claim- 1. The combination of a sign or design having transparent letters or parts on an opaque field, in front of a series of cells separated by walls and containing each a number of electric lamps of different colors, with a commutator arranged to change the current from lamp to lamp in each cell While supplying a current to several cells simultaneously.

2. The combination of a sign or design having transparent letters or parts on an opaque field, in front of a series of cells separated by Walls and containing each. a number of electric lamps of different colors, with a commutator arranged to change a current in each of several cells from lamp to lamp therein in such way that each cell will be continuously illuminated while the colors of the light change repeatedly and the colors in the several cells dilfer from each other in different combinations and orders of change produced by the arrangement of the commutator.

3. The combination of a sign or design having transparent letters or parts on an opaque field in front of a series of cells separated by Walls and containing each a number of electric lamps of different colors, with a commutator having separate conductors for each lamp and means to supply currents for one or more lamps in each cell, together with a rotatable cylinder arranged to change the current to each cell from lamp to lamp therein by means of plates on its surface of varied shapes arranged to vary the order of such changes as it turns. 7

4C. The combination of a sign having transparent letters on an opaque field in front of a separate cell for each letter provided with a number of different colored electric lamps in each cell, with a commutator having current connections for each cell, arranged to automatically change the current from lamp to lamp therein While contin uously illuminating each.

5. The combination of a sign having transparent letters on an opaque field in front of a number of cells provided With a number of different colored electric lamps in each cell, With a commutator arranged to automatically change the colors of the light in the cells in different orders of change While continuously illuminating them, or several of them.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR L. MCCORMICK.

W'itnesses:

HENRY M. B ARING, GEO. V. DEARING. 

